10 Year Anniversary of the "Soviet Jewelry" Project!

This unique niche market is booming worldwide, as Soviet Gold & Silver Jewellery and Collectibles are rising to became one of the Most Profitable art investments in the World! Serious collectors and investors from the United States, Switzerland, Russia, China and many other nations are spending Millions on these rare historic assets.

I’m a big fan of gold in all of its beautiful forms, from bullion and coins to jewelry and antiques. Then again, who isn’t? However, in my experience, as the president of the Tamoikin Art Fund [2] and the founder of the Soviet Jewelry project [3], ancient gold or as I like to call it “ancient aurum” is one of the best assets to own. Why so?

Before I answer this question I would like to clarify, in this article the term “ancient aurum” will refer to all types of gold antiques, some of which may not always be ancient. I also wish to make it absolutely clear that, when it comes to investing in actual gold artifacts, the only acceptable standard is 110% verifiable legal ownership. If a rarity does not meet this standard, we don’t touch it, and neither should you. I will say more about this at the end of the article. Just understand that, outside of state museums, there aren’t many legally acquired private gold artifacts in the world with documents and public exposure to prove it. Those that do are extremely valuable appreciative assets. Our art fund is one of the few non-government organizations that owns such verified ancient aurum. We proudly display it by: organizing public, private and virtual exhibitions; publishing books and catalogues; [4] contributing unique images to Wikipedia [5] and through many other creative ways. Unfortunately, not many art market participants follow in our footsteps, mainly because their gold items are in the grey zone, with unknown provenance, or downright illegally acquired from black archeologists [a.k.a. criminals].

With this article it is my desire to reach as many owners of legally acquired artifacts and through our example show that you don’t have to be in hiding anymore. With proper documentation and safety measures you can let your treasure shine without fear of theft or confiscation. Keeping your legal treasure undocumented under the mattress serves no one, and exposes you to theft or seizure without compensation – as if you never had it. This is what this article all about; inspiring legal owners, responsible investors and collectors of ancient aurum to step into the light. The art market needs you, investors crave for you, the world heritage depends on you!

Now, back to the question before us - why is ancient gold such an attractive investment? Three reasons. It is gold. It is rare. It is historic. Now let’s explore each of these short and powerful statements.

It is gold. No matter how ancient any gold item is, it’s still that very same gold that is found in the gold bullion. Yes, it’s in a different shape and of different purity but no matter how you look at it, it will always be that same gold. There’s nothing stopping you from refining it to its purest state of 24K or even 999.999 should you wish, other than perhaps a sense of guilt for destroying a rare artifact in the process. In fact, this unfortunately happens every day all over the world at the gold recycling facilities. Among the tons of unwanted or broken modern jewelry, there are incredible gold antiques and collectibles that get recycled as well. Also, criminals seek out and sometimes successfully steal antique gold rarities, only to melt them down and sell as scrap gold. Surprisingly, there is an upside to this misfortune, which brings me to the next point.

It is rare. Every gold antique or artifact is very rare, regardless whether it was mass produced or made as a one-of-a-kind artwork. I cannot emphasize this enough - the likelihood of any gold rarity surviving for hundreds and even thousands of years of human progress, wars, migrations and natural disasters is extremely low. That is why truly ancient aurum is very valuable. As I like to say, “Time may heal all wounds but it spares no rarity”. Gold items breakdown, get lost, destroyed, recycled and eventually vanish. On some occasions, as I’ve said, this destruction is expedited by humans. Every artifact that is destroyed worldwide, makes all others evermore rare. Theft of ancient aurum often gets into the headlines, attracting positive attention to these valuable assets. The mere fact that the media picks up these stories, proves how attractive gold antiques and collectibles are. Just to be clear, I’m not saying that theft of gold artifacts is a good thing. We have been fighting art crime for over a decade; my father was attacked and kidnapped for this [6]. However, I cannot deny that these assets will grow in value when misfortune strikes their kin. That’s just the rarity factor at work.

Every ancient aurum admirer must understand that those rarities that survive to this day have been tested by time. They have proven their worth generation after generation and often to multiple civilizations. More collectors are realizing that gold artifacts, antiques and collectibles are the future of the global art market. That is why we, as an art fund, are seeing a clear trend of declining interest in contemporary artworks and increasing interest in antique gold. In fact, many investors are now selling their modern art [value of which they feel has been artificially inflated] specifically to buy precious metal antiques.

It must be said, that if any collector or gold investor is concerned for the safety of their current or future gold assets, the solution is simple - put it in a bank. However, before putting it there, at least be sure to do the following:

HD photographs from all angles;

Hidden ID markers [to secure the identity of your rarity];

Establish provenance;

Register ownership;

Perform authentication;

Get appraisal and insurance.

With or without such documentation, do keep your gold in a long-lasting bank, a private vault, a reputable art fund or at minimum in a hidden high-quality safety box. Bank safety deposit boxes are often the least expensive option as they cost around $150-500 per year, depending on the size of the box. Rent a few.

It is historic. Although one leads to another, it is important to separate rarity and history. Many brand-new items can be rare, which certainly adds to their value, but not always a rare item has history behind it. Ancient aurum does. Every gold antique, just by the mere fact that it is an antique, has a unique and often incredible history behind it. That history could be personal, or it could be of an entire civilization.

Historic gold can be divided into two categories - rarities with hallmarks and rarities without. Sometime in the 1200s, hallmarks started to appear as the earliest form of consumer protection [7]. These hallmarks were fairly well cataloged over time and can tell the owner the historic origins of their asset. If your ancient aurum is so ancient that it predates hallmarks – all the better. You are in the possession of a truly historic work of art. A qualified archeologist at your local museum will help you positively identify what century and civilization it belonged to, as well as explain the historical significance of your rarity. There were gold antiques that were made without any hallmarks, even after hallmarks were introduced. Those antiques are no less valuable and simply demand more research into the history of what most likely are still very unique items.

Finally, when it comes to the history of your aurum – you have to look for it, you have to ask for it, you have to demand it. If you inherited an item, ask your relatives how they got it. If you bought it, request provenance prior to the payment. Demand documents and document everything. Sometimes the history may start with you and your research. Take this task seriously; good research, provenance and documentation adds historical, cultural and financial value to your gold asset.

I would like to conclude with the following message: Make sure that all the gold antiques and especially artifacts that you buy – are legal! You don’t want a stolen or illegally excavated gold. It will bring you nothing but trouble from the authorities. Understand your local laws and abide by them. Don’t support “black archeologists” who loot and destroy national and world heritage. Demand, Demand, Demand provenance and history on each asset. Do your own due diligence and research into the legality of an artifact that interests you. I cannot tell you how many times we were offered shady gold rarities that we refused to deal with. The art market desperately needs more responsible buyers, sellers, dealers, collectors and investors in legally acquired ancient aurum - and where there’s a need, there’s great potential for success!

Dmitry TamoikinPresident of the Tamoikin Art Fund

Recommendations:

If you need to check the legality of a work of art, we recommend the “INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION FOR ART RESEARCH”. [8]

I encourage you to read an incredible story about my father, how he survived kidnapping, torture and two assassination attempts on his life for exposing crime in the art world: “PROFESSOR HIT BY CAR IN LITHUANIA, KIDNAPPED AND TORTURED IN UKRAINE” [6]

MOLOTOK.RU was the biggest Russian online auction, similar to eBay.com here in the West. People from all over Russia and many other Russian-speaking nations bought, sold and traded goods as well as services on this platform. Inevitably this was the number one place for Russians to buy and sell Soviet Gold and Silver Jewelry. On August 20, 2015 the online auction molotok.ru was closed.

There are many speculations about why it was closed, especially in light of the fact that the auction was very popular, and according to some reports was making a great deal of money. That said, it doesn't really interest us that much, why it went out of business. What we are interested in is - WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR THE SOVIET JEWELRY MARKET?

After exploring, researching and analyzing this event in great deal, we saw many positive outcomes from what initially seemed as bad news for the USSR gold and silver jewellery. Lets start with the negatives. One, the trade of Soviet collectibles in Eastern Europe decreased due to the absence of a good online platform for such transaction. Two, local people were left without an extra source for revenue. That's it, there is no Three.

Now lets talk about the positives. Our organization created this Global Market, and more especially we created a massive appetite for Soviet Gold and Silver Jewelry within Eastern Europe, a region that is most rich in USSR rarities. For years we reported on and directed our readers, clients, collectors and investors to this Russian auction. We also used this platform very often ourselves. Naturally this created a massive demand for Soviet gold and silver collectibles, not just in Europe but in the entire World. Now with molotok.ru being gone this demand doubled in just few shot months! People, especially in Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Armenia, Kazakhstan and many other former Soviet republics still want USSR gold and silver jewellery, but they can't get it. They don't have the rich selection of items like they once had, nor do they have the amount. Naturally this is driving the desire to buy Soviet gold and silver to an all time high, and that is exactly what we are seeing right now on the International Soviet Jewelry Market.

A lot of sellers from Russia, Ukraine, Latvia, Lithuania and many other nations - relocated to eBay! Furthermore, ten to twenty times more buyers went there as well. Just read our last Sales report to see the actual evidence for yourself. We've recorded the most number of sales ever! So as you can see the closing of molotok.ru increased the demand and limited the supply tremendously! This is very good for market because prices are raising, profit is being made and Soviet jewelry is becoming more valuable. This in turn attracts more and more serious collectors and investors who purchase even more of these USSR collectibles, thus contributing to continuous market growth where even newcomers profit substantially within their first year.

Another positive outcome is that smaller auctions, pawnshops, antique shops and even jewellery stores received a lot of new clients and got a big boost in sales. That is always great for the local economies and for the Soviet Jewelry Market. The more people have to do to get their USSR gold and silver collectibles - the more they will treasure these unique tokens of history. After all, going to several antique stores, as if you are on a treasure hunt, makes it much more interesting and a rewarding hobby. As for the serious collectors and investors - no need to worry. Like we said before, most of them quickly went to eBay, and those that did not came to us. It is true, while we don't sell anything from our own Soviet gold and silver collection - we do buy large amounts of these rare assets for our clients, and of course ourselves.

Lastly, we would like to say the following. The global market for Soviet Gold and Silver Collectibles is heating up very quickly. It withstood economic downturns, collapse of major auctions and even the fall of nations. The fact of the matter is this - Soviet Gold and Silver Jewelry is Growing in Value! We highly recommend everyone to learn more about investing in these unique historic rarities. They will make you money!

WE ARE BUYING SOVIET GOLD AND SILVER IN LARGE AMOUNTS - OUR COLLECTION IS GROWING!

Disclaimer: All statements in this report are an opinion. Act at your own risk.Report by Soviet Jewelry Newswww.SovietJewelry.comInvest in History! TM

We are becoming popular in Kaliningrad, Russia! This year our organization, as well as our best selling books about Soviet gold & silver jewellery, received a very positive review from Dr. Vladislav Krasnov, Ph.D, which was published in the prestigious Russian magazine "Shores" or "Берега" № 2(8) 2015.

Click to Enlarge - "Берега" Magazine № 2(8) 2015 - Cover

Click to Enlarge - "Берега" Magazine № 2(8) 2015 - Pg. 181

Click to Enlarge - "Берега" Magazine № 2(8) 2015 - Pg. 182

Click to Enlarge - "Берега" Magazine № 2(8) 2015 - Pg. 183

We express our deepest gratitude to Dr. Krasnov and the "Берега" magazine for this publication. On behalf of our entire Soviet Jewelry Team - Thank You!

"This year's VICTORY DAY on May 9th (May 8th in Europe) marks the 70th Anniversary of the end of the WWII. Because of this historic occasion I felt the need to honor our Veterans and Survivors in a special way. That is why I dedicate this video to all who fought, endured and won the most horrific war in human history. Happy Victory Day!

As the president of an art fund that specializes in investing I’m often asked this question:

“What can young adults, university students or someone who isn’t thinking about their retirement yet, invest in that is affordable, interesting and above all will generate substantial profit quickly?”

By the title of this article you might have guessed my answer. That’s right, Soviet gold and silver jewelry as well as collectibles from the USSR are one of the best things that the younger generation can invest their hard earned money in. Why you would ask? Well, let’s start from the beginning.

First, we need to face the reality, most young adults especially in this economy, do not have more that $100-1000 extra dollars to spare, some don’t have even that. If we use let’s say, $200 as our minimum investment budget, naturally a question comes up: “What can I invest in that will not freeze my money forever and will give me profit in one year or less?”

To many – the answer is nothing, so they simply give up on investing as a way to make money. This is where Soviet jewelry market surprises a lot of people. A person can actually buy Soviet silver collectible for $50 dollars or less and within a year sell it back with substantial profit. Few art or investment markets can say that, and yet this is the reality of Soviet gold and silver jewelry market. These assets are appreciating fast, that’s a fact. Soviet silver items especially, have been growing in value very quickly over the past few years, and thus are my personal favourite at the moment. In 2012 you could easily buy various Soviet silver collectibles for $15-25, now you can’t, because they cost $50-80, and this trend will only continue. Here is another example – on average, silver bracelets from USSR, just over the past year have grown in value by more than 250% [www.sovietjewelry.com/news/category/then-now]. That means, if last year you bought a Soviet silver bracelet for $50 dollars on eBay, today you can sell that item for $175 or more! That’s not a bad return on investment, especially if you bought several of them. The fact of the matter is – all Soviet silver over the past year has tremendously grown in price, from rings and earrings to bracelets and silverware. That’s what is so great about this market, the growth is happening universally across the entire spectrum of different collectibles items. Yes, there are certain USSR jewelry items that are growing in value faster than others but overall, after studying this market since 2007, we are seeing a major rise on prices on every single Soviet silver item out there.

Soviet Silverware, Jewelry & Collectibles

This brings me to the second point – you do not need to be an expert in USSR jewelry, history, collecting, gold trading and so forth. Within a day or two you can learn all the basics about Soviet gold and silver that you will need to make money on this market. Just visit our homepage which will get you started. There is a lot of interesting free information there, so don’t wait, learn about this unique market as soon as possible.

My third point brings me to Soviet gold jewelry. There is a reason why I opened with Soviet silver, it is much more affordable and percentage-wise is growing just as much as gold from USSR. That said, Soviet gold collectibles are where the big money is.

Naturally they require more initial capital to invest in, but the return per item is equally larger. Currently you can buy Soviet gold jewelry for as low as $200-600 per item (which is still well within the budget of a young adult) or as high as $1000-$4000, something that more and more professional art investors are doing. When this type of an asset begins to double, triple and quadruple in value – you feel it. A $600 that turns into $2400 is substantial return on investment for a student. Now, to be fair, when it comes to Soviet gold, this may not happen in one year every time, since it all depends on the market conditions and the asset itself, but within two or three years you may see even higher price growth than this on almost all Soviet gold jewelry and collectibles.

How is this possible? There are many factors to this, but the two primary once are: 1) Soviet gold and silver jewelry is a new art market and many investors are rushing to take advantage of it while the prices are still relatively low; 2) This is a fixed supply market, meaning what ever Soviet gold and silver was made between 1922 and 1991, that is all that we will ever have. As demand outweighs the supply, prices will raise exponentially. Keep in mind that fakes and forgeries have not entered this market either, at the moment, which is a very positive and highly appealing indicator for a lot of collectors and investors. A safe art market is a very attractive one, after all.

Soviet Gold Jewellery & Collectibles

My last point and the most important question of all is where to buy, and more importantly sell, these items. The answer is simple – eBay or any other online auction, store or trading platform. Currently eBay is the number one hub for all buyers and sellers so I’m sure the computer-savvy young online shoppers will appreciate this fact. To make it easy for you to buy and sell your Soviet jewelry we created special links, in the form of buttons, which will take you directly to best gold and silver jewelry available for sale on eBay. You can find these links on our site here: www.sovietjewelry.com/home

I would like to end this article with another story. It is written in a spirit of civil disobedience, public discourse and a strive for financial freedom from the big governments and multinational corporations that have taken control of virtually all markets on the planet.

SOVIET JEWELRY A FREE PUBLIC INVESTMENT MARKET – With the start of the Soviet Jewelry project we unveiled to the world a new free public market.

When it became evident that most financial markets are controlled by special interest groups, who were largely to blame for the Global Financial Crisis [2008-2011], the idea to create a free public investment market was born! Soviet Gold and Silver Jewelry turned out to be a perfect commodity for this market, while latest innovations in information sharing technology [online auctions, social media and search engines] provided an ideal marketplace for this unique commodity to thrive. The Soviet Jewelry Market can now match in professionalism and sophistication such well established markets as Stocks, Forex and Gold Bullion. In addition, Soviet Gold and Silver Jewelry market is completely free from Big Governments and Large Special Interest Groups. It is a market where buyers and sellers work together for mutual benefit. Above all, it is a market where collectors, small and medium investors as well as average folks in general, profit first!

HOW IT WORKS: In this unique gold and silver market there is no management. It is up to each individual seller to set their sales price. The people as a global community of buyers and sellers are the ones that set the overall market prices. There are no government regulations. With social media it is the same people who have the complete power in advertising this unique commodity. Corporations have little say in this market and thus do not find it appealing. That’s why it works! That’s why Gold Bullion, a very heavily regulated commodity, grew 170% at best [over last 5 years], while Soviet Gold, a totally unregulated commodity, grew [in the last 4 years] more than 300% at worst! And while gold bullion market is cooling-down, Soviet Gold is heating-up! Every investor and collector should hear this important message. Soviet Gold is that same gold bullion but with additional value-making characteristics and with no government regulations. No regulations – means only one thing – bigger and faster value growth! This market is highly profitable and totally independent!